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Buckhorn Mountain houses communication towers that controls all public safety for Larimer County, as well as towers for the Forest Service, the national railroad system and the State of Colorado. Radio station KUNC FM is also there and went off the air on Saturday, since then they have been using satellite fed, and a temporary signal from a tower on Lookout Mountain. If the towers are destroyed, it would be very difficult for emergency agencies to communicate with each other effectively.

The Public Information Officer for Larimer County told 9NEWS protecting that area is a high priority. Power has already been lost in the area, and generators are currently being used to power the outbuildings.

To the south is Horsetooth Mountain which houses television towers. All three major Denver television stations - including KUSA-TV - utilize a tower there. If that were to fail, microwave communication from northern Colorado would end - severely limiting the way local television stations send information and video to their stations.